Tony Khan Says AEW Is Further Along “Than I Ever Dreamed”

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, AEW President Tony Khan dedicated part of the conversation explaining his goal in creating AEW. Khan is a seasoned wrestling fan, watching since he was a young boy, but he didn't maintain the same sense of passion over the last decade.

"I knew there was a vacancy in the lives of a lot of wrestling fans," Khan says. "For me personally, it had been a long time since I woke up on any particular day of the week and looked forward to a wrestling show. It had been a long time since I cared about who was the champion.

"I'm a big wrestling fan, and I thought that if I were feeling that way, then it could be representative about the way a lot of wrestling fans felt," he continued. "So I wanted Dynamite to capture that excitement. My goal from the beginning remains the same now—I want wrestling fans to know they can count on us on Wednesday nights."

In a one-year period, AEW has signed top stars like Sting, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk to their roster, along with several other notable names. Khan sees this a major step in the right direction as the company begins it's second year on television.

"I certainly had aspirations for AEW to hit certain heights, but we're further than I've ever dreamed," Khan says. "We've signed Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Adam Cole and Sting all in a one-year period. We've added legendary names like Christian Cage and Matt Hardy, and stars of the present—Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black—and the development of the women's division, especially being joined by Ruby Soho and Thunder Rosa. We're really proud of where we are after two years, and we're so grateful that the roster worked so hard through the pandemic."